Sydney FC don't fear any test they will come up against in the knockout stages of the Asian Champions League after topping the continent's group of death.
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The coaches and players thought they would do well just to have a fighting chance of making the round of 16 but their final standing gives the A-League strugglers newfound confidence heading into the knock-out phase.
They emerged the shock winners of a group containing three former champions and collectively six Asian titles each but now hold no fears for their next test against Shandong Luneng on May 18.
"We thought we'd have to be at our best just to get out of the group but to top it is a massive achievement," midfielder Brandon O'Neill said.
"If we continue to play the way we're playing – especially against the top teams in Asia that we've played against – we can now match it with anyone."
The Sky Blues suffered a 1-0 defeat to Guangzhou Evergrande in sapping conditions in their last game of the group. However, the club was buoyed by the performance of a team comprised of many youngsters.
"I think last night was a pretty good performance from the lads. Not only last night but the majority of our ACL campaign. We've done Sydney proud and Australia proud," O'Neill said.
Sydney's coach Graham Arnold reserved special praise for his club's youngsters who performed admirably throughout the tournament.
Five young players were given starts against the two-time Asian champions. With two weeks until their knock match against Shandong, those young players made for a difficult selection decision for Arnold.
"They've given me a few headaches. I wanted those headaches probably two months ago but they didn't give them to me then," Arnold said.
"Aaron Calver was outstanding, Brandon O'Neill, Riley Woodcock did well. Young George Blackwood, [Chris] Naumoff and [Andrew] Hoole. A lot of youngsters out there so when you look at that, the future is bright for Sydney."
One position that may be easy for Arnold to lock in is Woodcock at left back. The young defender played his first 90 minutes of the tournament against Evergrande and was assigned the difficult role of marking Chinese international Huang Bowen.
"For me it's been a case of trying to get fit and get a go. I didn't expect to play but I made myself to a level that I was ready," Woodcock said.
An injury-ravaged season limited game time for the former Glory defender but the abrupt departure of Ali Abbas to a Korean club last week and the January sale of Alex Gersbach to Rosenborg leaves Woodcock as the only full-time left back at Sydney.
"All I can do now is keep myself fit and try to nail down that spot," he said.
